Most of the time, when people approach the issue of weight loss, it is usually about those extra pounds that give an unsightly shape to the silhouette. This is usually the fat around the hips, thighs, stomach, and arms.
It would therefore be more appropriate to talk about losing weight rather than real weight loss. Excess in everything certainly harms; and even more when it comes to the mass of an individual. But you should also know that we all have a healthy weight. A mass below which physical integrity and good health are compromised. It is therefore important to know how to go about maintaining your weight when trying to lose fat. Otherwise, you have to use tips to lose body fat without losing muscles.
Lose weight or fat?
Contrary to popular belief, it is not just fat that you lose by following a weight loss diet and/or sports program. Unfortunately, to date, there is no method to target only the fat stored in one part of the body. You will certainly lose fat by running, but you will also lose muscle. Worse, the number displayed by the scale could well drop without any noticeable change in your figure. But that is certainly not the intended goal.
It is indeed possible to lose weight without really noticing a change in your weight. It happens when you lose body fat while gaining muscle. Losing fat without losing muscle, is it possible? Yes, you can lose weight safely and effectively to optimize intake fat loss, and muscle maintenance. This is especially important if you want to maintain your fitness level, physical activity, and overall function. Some proven ways to lose body fat without losing muscle are cited below:
A) Turning the body into a fat-burning
Losing weight is exactly what it sounds like: it means the number on the scale goes down. Your total body weight is made up of lean body mass and fat mass. Here, your lean body mass is made up of muscle mass, water mass, bone mass, organs, and tissues.
Therefore, if you lose weight, you might lose fat or lean body mass. Additionally, losing fat without losing muscle requires somewhat contradictory approaches. The traditional route to losing body fat is calorie deficit through diet and exercise, whereas gaining muscle usually involves calorie surplus, which supports the development of new tissue.
Différente methods can be applicated to turn your body into a fat-burning machine. By appalling those methods, your weight can stay the same even if you lose several inches of fat. Knowing the difference between losing weight and losing body fat can change the way you see yourself and the progress that will later be made in that direction.
- Do weight training: The effectiveness of your pure strength training, such as heavy lifting, is highly dependent on your neural training, how quickly you engage your type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers, and your ability to achieve maximum recruitment of these same muscles fibers. To create an intense muscle workout, it is recommended to follow a strategy like this: do 5 heavy reps, rest for 20 seconds, repeat the exact same weight for 3 reps, rest for 20 seconds, then do 2 other repetitions. You can still use a very heavy weight for 10 reps. This technique creates a huge stimulus for the muscles, which will become thicker and you can lose fat without losing muscle.
- Train only in slow cardio: Often with cardio training comes fat loss. Indeed, the type of cardio you do can help you maintain all your hard-earned muscle or contribute to destroying it. To lose fat without losing muscle, use slow and easy aerobic exercise methods, such as walking on an incline treadmill, riding a bicycle, or light jogging. Maintaining a light pace will only use your type I muscle fibers, which are extremely resistant to fatigue, and promote better blood circulation to help eliminate lactic acid and metabolic waste. This type of cardio also improves your aerobic energy system to support more intense workouts, better recovery between sets, and more results at the gym!
- Eat more lean protein: If you want to lose fat without losing muscle and keep a full body you need to consume an optimal amount of protein. First, they boost your metabolism throughout the day because protein takes more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fats. Second, they keep you full longer to prevent overeating. Finally, they prevent excessive muscle loss that could occur during a cut. Eat at least 1.6g of protein per pound of body weight and focus on protein from healthy sources like lean meats, nuts, eggs, fish, and quality supplements.
- Drink BCAAs: Branched-chain amino acids are essential amino acids, which means they must come from the diet. As building blocks of protein, BCAAs are stored in the muscles and can actually be used to produce energy during exercise. During a cutting phase, to lose fat without losing muscle, they are an excellent alternative to calorie-rich protein powders. Because yes, they are calorie-free (or almost), which will ensure that you maintain the calorie deficit necessary to lose weight while obtaining essential nutrients for your body.
- Prioritize compound exercises: Large compound exercises are a great way to recruit more muscle mass during training and burn more calories for body strength. Compound exercises include moves like squats, deadlifts, and pull up they work multiple muscles at once. Prioritize these movements over isolation exercises like leg extensions and bicep curls if your goal is to lose fat without losing muscle, as they stimulate the greatest release of human growth hormones, that help preserve lean muscle mass. This type of exercise is also ideal for people in a hurry because it works your body quickly and comprehensively.
- Consuming carbohydrates after your workout: Carbohydrates are not bad. In fact, even during an ambitious bodybuilding phase, you still need carbs, especially if you mainly lift heavy weights. After a hypertrophy workout, your muscle fibers are damaged and your energy stores need to be recharged. Starving your body of carbs will hurt your recovery and lead to fewer and less effective workouts. Instead, eat carbs post-workout to lose fat without losing muscle. Once you complete your last set, your metabolism is high and your insulin sensitivity (your body's ability to tolerate carbs) is at its peak. Choose starches like rice, baked potatoes, and sweet potatoes to start the recovery process and fill your body with the energy it needs to perform at a high level.
- Sleep 8 hours a night: Recovery is just as important as your training, especially when you want to dry out. Since you're putting your body under tremendous stress from calorie restriction and heavy weights, you need time to let your muscles recover and rebuild. While your body secretes growth hormones throughout the day, it peaks at night while you are sleeping and also peak when you are in your deepest sleep. To lose fat without losing muscle, skimping on sleep will only hinder your muscle growth and repair. Not to mention that you will produce more hormones that increase your hunger during the day
- Maintain only a moderate calorie deficit: Cracking diets will cause muscle loss no matter what you do. This is far too extreme for the body and this type of eating strategy will not give your body enough nutrients to heal and recover. Worse, you also risk health problems and even overtraining! If you want to lose fat without losing muscle and achieve better muscle definition, start with a moderate deficit of just 500 calories: that's just the right number to trigger fat loss without sacrificing muscle size or strength gains. Track your progress every few weeks in the form of body fat percentage, girth measurements, and photos to make sure you're heading in the right direction.
B) Japanese method to burn fat in 5 minutes
The Sakuma Method is dubbed the "Marie Kondo" of fitness because it's supposed to help transform your body in minutes without needing to do dozens of exercises that may not work as well as others.
This exercise was created by Japanese trainer Kenichi Sakuma (after whom the Sakum method is named) and it became popular after a few celebrities started using it to lose weight fast, and to have a good body type. It was mainly used by Miss Universe contestants but its creator says it works for both women and men and it's an exercise you can do at any age and regardless of your fitness level.
Kenichi Sakuma, who has already written two books on his training methods, practiced gymnastics in university and his love for this sport led him to develop his method of exercise which takes elements of calisthenics and some movements simply designed to improve your posture. According to Sakuma, by improving your posture you can get more out of your workouts and perform better with each exercise, increasing the chances of building muscle and firming various areas of the body.
“Contrary to popular belief, weight loss has less to do with body shape than how we use it,” explains the coach.
Sakuma says his method teaches us to use the muscles we tend to overlook in the abdomen or torso that are key to "improving body shape and basal metabolic rate." The trainer also says that in a short time the thighs, arms, hips, and abs increase their flexibility, in addition to being toned and the percentage of body fat is reduced.
The best part of the Sakuma method is that you don't need any equipment: it only takes 5 minutes a day and helps you get the most out of the rest of the exercises in your routine. It cannot replace leg exercises, abs, cardio, or weights, rather it is an additional element to ensure that your body is in the best condition to burn fat, increase muscle mass and get more. of definition.
By strengthening the torso, the posture of the body is balanced, thus preventing the hips from moving forward and certain muscles working during training while the rest never engage. The routine teaches how to properly use the muscles of the torso and the areas that tend to strain the body the most (neck, shoulders, pelvis, knees, and ankles).
For chest and thighs:
Start by lying face down on the floor. Place your hands behind your neck, bring your ankles together and hold the position for 10 seconds, activating the glutes then lower and come back up. When you are done, keep the same posture but now cross your legs. Swap the two movements for a minute.
Start by lying face down on the floor. Cross your arms in front of your face, and cross and lift your legs. Hold this position for 6 seconds with your glutes contracted. Repeat the same movement 10 times.
For the lumbar region (lower back):
Start sitting on the edge of a chair and keep your back straight. Then lift one side of your hips as you contract your glutes. Perform 10 repetitions of 3 seconds for each leg.
For the lower abdomen:
- Exercise 1: To reduce abdominal fat, start by sitting on a chair. Grab your elbows with your hands and raise your arms to shoulder height. Raise your arms and place them behind your head. Contract your abdomen and lean your body to one side. Hold the position for 3 seconds and repeat on the other side. Repeat 5 times on each side.
- Exercise 2: Sitting on a chair, lean your torso slightly forward. Align your shoulders with your knees and place your hands on the sides of your calves. From there, raise your arms until they are stretched above your head. Then lower yourself slowly. Repeat 10 times.
- Exercise 3: Get on your knees and extend one leg backward. Raise the opposite arm to the front leg and lean the body towards the front leg. Hold the position for a few seconds and repeat with the opposite side.
- Exercise 4: Start standing. Cross your arms and raise them to shoulder height. Stand your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees a little. Bend over a little until your torso is at 90 degrees. Take the position for 3 seconds and then stand up. Repeat 10 times.
The Scale: A True False Friend
Many people base their dietary "diet" on the "gross weight" displayed on the scale or bathroom scale, without agreeing on the lean mass/fat mass ratio. However, this is a major mistake, especially for those who start doing physical activity, hence the famous "I do sports, I don't understand, I've gained weight"... yes but no, you took muscles before losing fat. This is the basis of sports nutrition, dissociating the different kg. I explain this to you.
Personal scale = measurement of gross weight
This single parameter does not translate in an optimal way the effects of a program aimed at "loss of weight" in its widest and most common sense because the total weight of the body can be defined by the addition of two masses: the fat mass (or “inactive” mass) and lean mass (or “active” mass).
lean body mass
It includes bones, muscles, water (the latter representing approximately 65% of body weight, and visceral tissues (intestinal, heart, lungs, etc.). This lean mass consumes a lot of energy… it is the support of the "basal metabolism" (corresponding to the basic energy expenditure to ensure the vital functions of the human body, namely to breathe, assimilate, excrete, etc.).
Fat mass she understands:
Focus on BMI
The basic calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI) is the weight (in kg) divided by height squared (in meters). Ok, a rugby player type athlete who is 1.90 m for 100 kg of muscle, this gives a BMI of 27.7 or overweight. All this to say that a kg of muscle is not worth a kg of fat.
A significant difference for the athlete
An athlete following a "Sharpening" program will see his body composition change, without necessarily changing his weight on the scale. It is a question of finding a clever balance in different ratios such as Fat Mass/Lean Mass, Weight/Power, Psychic/Physical ratios...
Note: in the absence of specific measurements of body composition, "physical" ("Individual feeling") and "aesthetic" sensations, and subsequently "psychic" ("Self-esteem") are good indicators of the effects of a successful "hygiene-dietetic" program.
There are several ways to find out your fat mass and your lean mass:
Impedance meter scale: a method that I would describe as intermediate, i.e. more precise than the traditional personal scale but which still has flaws. Indeed, depending on the time of day, the fact of having drunk more (etc.), there are differences that cause slight imperfections.
Measurement of skin folds by your doctor: he measures your fat mass at the level of the iliac crest and the fact of doing it "regularly" allows you to have a longitudinal follow-up.
The latter method is interesting, however, one should not specifically go to the doctor for this. Take advantage of sick (or other) visits to do this. It is possible to perform these measurements at home, but have the area to be measured explained to you.
Finally, know that it is important to eat a balanced diet, not to do wild diets which generate injuries and which therefore destroy all the preparation, conserve the body workouts, and do not reduce body performance.